What Was A Governess In Victorian Times !!hot!! Review

Salaries varied wildly, ranging from £15 to £100 per year. For context, a highly skilled chef or butler often earned significantly more.

In the Victorian mind, the governess was often viewed as a threat. She was an educated, unmarried woman living in close quarters with the man of the house. This is where the trope of the "wicked governess" or the "husband-stealer" comes from. In reality, most governesses were simply trying to survive, but they were often treated with suspicion by the lady of the house and contempt by the other servants. what was a governess in victorian times

: Most governesses were women whose families had fallen into "genteel poverty" due to bank failures, the death of a father, or business losses. Becoming a governess was one of the few socially acceptable ways for an educated woman to support herself without losing her status as a "lady". Salaries varied wildly, ranging from £15 to £100 per year

For many women, becoming a governess was a "fate worse than death." It offered a roof over their heads, but at the cost of their independence and social standing. She was an educated, unmarried woman living in

The primary definition of a governess was a private tutor for children. However, her social standing was defined by a painful paradox. She was a woman of gentle birth, often the daughter of a clergyman or a professional man who had fallen on hard times. Because she was "born gentle," she could not take a job as a servant (which would be scandalous). But because she had to work for money, she was no longer considered a true "Lady."